Overview

• From 2028, 18-year-old men will be required to complete a readiness questionnaire and medical fitness screening; women may opt in voluntarily.
• The draft law empowers parliament to reactivate full conscription if volunteer enlistment fails to meet defined thresholds.
• It includes provisions to exempt defense spending from Germany’s constitutional debt limit to fund military modernization.
• The government aims to recruit 40,000 volunteers annually and expand the Bundeswehr to 460,000 active soldiers and reservists by 2031.
• Chancellor Friedrich Merz cites the threat from Russia and doubts over U.S. security guarantees as justification for the proposal.